Human Trafficking

U.S. Customs and Border Protection/Associated Press

News about human trafficking, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 31, 2015

Editorial raises questions about State Dept's decision to upgrade Malaysia's status regarding its efforts to combat human trafficking, move some speculate was done in order to advance Trans-Pacific Partnership; underscores ways in which Malaysia's actions on issue signal that it does not deserve upgrade. MORE

Jul. 28, 2015

State Dept's annual report on human trafficking upgrades Malaysia from Tier 2 to Tier 3, meaning county is making effort to combat problem; critics charge that decision to change ranking was made in order to allow Malaysia to participate in pending Trans-Pacific Partnership, giving trade concerns priority over human rights. MORE

Jul. 27, 2015

Shocking number of migrant mariners are living in a state of slavery, especially in South China Sea, which faces labor shortfall as demand rises for dwindling seafood supplies; men and boys are bought and sold, suffering horrific brutality and risking execution if they attempt to escape; suffering is yet another example of abuses that proliferate far out at sea where maritime law remains nebulous and outside intervention is rare (Series: The Outlaw Ocean). MORE

Jul. 25, 2015

Thai prosecutors indict 72 people on charges of participation in human trafficking syndicate; suspects include military general and other officials. MORE

Jul. 24, 2015

Sha Porir Dwip, Bangladesh, is among impoverished towns where desperation of Rohingya Muslims and poor Bangladeshis to lead better lives feeds predatory human trafficking operation that corrupts many; town's illegal network has grown in 2014 to include at least 600 smugglers and 1,600 low-level agents involved in transporting migrants across Andaman Sea to Malaysia. MORE

Jul. 11, 2015

Human rights advocates and Sen Robert Menendez react with alarm over possibility that State Dept will say that Malaysia's record on human rights trafficking has improved in its annual Trafficking in Persons Report, which was reported by Reuters. MORE

Jul. 4, 2015

Saturday Profile of Zainab Bangura, who as United Nations special envoy for sexual violence in conflict documents abuses against women across world. MORE

Jun. 22, 2015

Indonesian smuggler says Australian authorities stopped his boat at sea and paid him over $30,000 to return 65 migrants he was carrying to Indonesia; story, if confirmed, points to tightening of Australia's immigration policy under Prime Min Tony Abbott and potential violation of Austrailan, Indonesian and international laws governing smuggling, bribery and treatment of asylum seekers. MORE

Jun. 20, 2015

Unicef's Nepal representative Tomoo Hozumi releases statement warning of possible spike in trafficking of children in wake of earthquakes in country. MORE

Jun. 14, 2015

Australian Prime Min Tony Abbott faces accusations that government paid smugglers to return boat full of migrants to Indonesia; opposition lawmakers will press Abbott, who refuses to confirm or deny claim made by migrants on ship, to reveal truth. MORE

May. 29, 2015

Editorial calls on South Asian governments of Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and particularly Myanmar to alter policies that have led to rampant human trafficking in region, forcing thousands of migrants to take to sea to find refuge; calls government of Myanmar one of worst offenders, with systematic persecution of Rohingya Muslims driving 140,000 from their homes and making them highly vulnerable to traffickers. MORE

May. 27, 2015

Malaysian police reveal evidence of graves holding scores of bodies of migrants near border with Thailand, believed to have been victims of human smuggling rings; crackdown on human trafficking is thought to have set off crisis in which thousands of migrants were abandoned by smugglers and stranded at sea. MORE

May. 26, 2015

Malaysian police discover more than 139 mass graves thought to contain bodies of Rohingya migrants from Myanmar who died in smugglers' camps near border with Thailand. MORE

May. 13, 2015

Editorial observes that some 8,000 refugees have been abandoned at sea by smugglers as Thailand cracks down on human trafficking; notes while regional governments are finally taking steps to curb trafficking, they are showing little mercy for victims; argues root problem is Myanmar's mistreatment of its Muslim Rohingya population, of which some 140,000 have been driven from their homes by violence. MORE

May. 12, 2015

European Union diplomat Federica Mogherini says EU is prepared to begin military operations, with or without authorization from United Nations Security Council, against Libya-based human trafficking rings that smuggle migrants across Mediterranean; says refugees will be able to apply for asylum in Europe and that none will be sent back to home countries against their will. MORE

May. 6, 2015

Unaccompanied children, most of them from Eritrea, are among most innocent victims of human trafficking machine that is luring African migrants to chaos in Libya and onto Mediterranean Sea; International Organization for Migration says out of 170,000 migrants coming to Italy by sea from Libya in 2014, more than 13,000 were children traveling alone, and 3,394 were Eritrean. MORE

May. 5, 2015

Thai authorities, prompted by discovery of mass grave near border with Malaysia, open investigation into whether local officials or police were complicit in human trafficking network. MORE

May. 3, 2015

Nuns in Italy are helping migrant women forced into prostitution to escape their handlers and gain legal documents and employment skills via network of shelters and collectives. MORE

Apr. 28, 2015

Risk of capsizing and drowning in Mediterranean is only final obstacle facing Arab and African migrants intent on reaching Europe, since they must first pass through increasingly lawless Libya before they even set foot on boat; United Nations estimates that human trafficking from Libya was $170 million business in 2014; smugglers say trade will only increase if Europe Union increases patrols, as many migrants view being picked up by patrol as one of safest possible outcomes. MORE

Apr. 23, 2015

Senate approves legislation, stalled for over a month, aimed at fighting human trafficking; move clears way for chamber to consider nomination of Loretta E Lynch as United States attorney general, with confirmation vote expected within days. MORE

Apr. 17, 2015

Senate moves to revisit human trafficking bill as clashes intensify over nomination of Loretta E Lynch as attorney general. MORE

Mar. 24, 2015

More than 60 women have had their criminal records cleared in New York under state law passed in 2010 that allows convictions related to sexual trafficking to be removed from a person's record. MORE

Mar. 19, 2015

Gail Collins Op-Ed column argues that Senate has reached new nadir of dysfunction, failing even to reach consensus on bill aiding victims of human trafficking; notes discord surrounds provision forbidding use of money to provide victims with access to abortions. MORE

Mar. 18, 2015

Bill to create fund for victims of sexual trafficking falls five votes short of passage in Congress as Democrats continue to object to anti-abortion provision Republicans attached to bill; Republicans say they will not vote on confirmation of Loretta E Lynch as attorney general until bill is resolved; impasse illustrates dysfunction that has come to characterize paralyzed Congress. MORE

Mar. 16, 2015

Sen Mitch McConnell says Senate will not vote on Loretta E Lynch's nomination to be attorney general until unrelated human trafficking bill receives vote; Democrats have said they will block bipartisan human trafficking bill because of anti-abortion provision attached to it. MORE

Mar. 13, 2015

Senators have come to loggerheads over bipartisan human trafficking bill, struggling to resolve impasse over provision that would ban money from victims' fund from being used for abortions; it remains unclear whether body can summon 60 votes required to end debate on bill. MORE

Mar. 11, 2015

Democratic lawmakers object to abortion provision Republicans attached to bipartisan bill designed to fight human trafficking, hindering passage of legislation that initially had wide support. MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

Editorial welcomes emerging consensus among lawmakers on new initiatives to confront domestic sex-trafficking in the United States; examines bills that would establish 'safe harbor' laws, provide new pool of financing for restitution, victim services and law enforcement, and begin prosecuting those who buy juvenile sex. MORE

Jan. 28, 2015

Pres Obama ends three-day visit to India with speech to 1,500 mostly young Indians at Siri Fort Auditorium; calls on country to do more fight human trafficking and slavery and to protect rights of women and girls; urges India to do also make more concerted effort in addressing climate change. MORE

Dec. 20, 2014

Michael Wilson Crime Scene column; Malu Custer Edwards, Micky Hurley and their four children, Chilean family from Manhattan who were vacationing in Italy, are denied re-entry into United States following lawsuit from their former nanny Felicitas del Carmen Villanueva Garnica, who is accusing them human trafficking. MORE

Nov. 25, 2014

United Nations' 2014 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons finds that one in three human trafficking victims is a child, most victims are female and that traffickers operate with little fear of prosecution; study shows that, in general, trafficking has increasingly become a problem around the world. MORE

Nov. 2, 2014

Nicholas Kristof Op-Ed column praises brave girls who are using lawsuits to fight back against website Backpage.com, suits that could have far-reaching implications for sex trafficking in America; contends what is at stake is unaddressed issue of sexual exploitation of children, not censorship of free speech or prostitution; underlines ways website impedes efforts of police and families to trace missing girls and boys. MORE

Oct. 23, 2014

Somaly Mam Foundation, Cambodia-based organization that worked against human trafficking and sexual exploitation, has closed five months after its founder resigned amid allegations of broad deception. MORE

Oct. 21, 2014

Experience of survivors of boat that capsized in Mediterranean while transporting Palestinian migrants to Europe illustrates how quickly human smuggling routes have coalesced in response to upheaval in the Arab world; survivors describe shipwreck as deliberate sinking on part of smugglers. MORE

Sep. 16, 2014

International Organization for Migration says human traffickers rammed boat filled with migrants they were smuggling from North Africa to Europe, making it sink in open sea and drowning hundreds of migrants; group says ramming happened after argument between traffickers and passengers, and only nine people of as many as 500 are known to have survived. MORE

Aug. 27, 2014

United Nations refugee agency reports record numbers of people from the Middle East and Africa are putting their lives in the hands of smugglers to get across the Mediterranean to Europe, and record numbers are dying in the effort; more than 300 asylum seekers and migrants died when three boats capsized or sank; UN is calling for urgent and concerted action by European governments. MORE

Jul. 8, 2014

Legislation enacted quietly by Pres George W Bush during transition to Obama administration is at root of the potentially calamitous flow of unaccompanied immigrant minors to nation's southern border; originally pushed as bill to combat sex trafficking, measure gave substantial protections to children entering the country alone by prohibiting them from being quickly sent back; Obama administration says law is partially responsible for tying its hands in dealing with current influx of children. MORE

Jun. 26, 2014

Area downstream of the Anzalduas Dam on the Rio Grande in Texas is a prime crossing ground for families and unaccompanied minors seeking to enter the United States; smugglers charge up to $7,500 for 'family packages,' bringing minors or mothers with children across the snake-infested, thorn-ridden bushland from Central America; more than 9,000 children traveling without their parents have been caught crossing border illegally in May alone, a record. MORE

Jun. 24, 2014

Jun. 22, 2014

Editorial, citing State Department report on human trafficking, warns that Thailand's thriving seafood trade is is deeply reliant on slave labor; calls on major global corporations to cease imports from fisherman or companies that have been identified as using slave labor, and argues that United States should withhold aid and assistance from countries like Thailand that refuse to crack down. MORE

Jun. 21, 2014

State Dept report finds that Thailand and Malaysia are among two dozen countries doing the least to fight human trafficking; finding could lead to economic and diplomatic penalties. MORE

Jun. 16, 2014

Isaias and Bonifacio Flores-Mendez are each sentenced to life in prison for smuggling hundreds of Mexican women across the border and forcing them into prostitution in and around New York City; are among 16 people who have pleaded guilty to charges in connection with sex-trafficking ring, which was broken up in April 2013. MORE

Jun. 15, 2014

Somaly Mam, one of Cambodia's most prominent social activists, had stepped down from United States-based charitable organization bearing her name after questions arose about her claim that she was orphan sold into sex slavery; her fall from grace highlights what aid workers in country say is widespread embellishment and in some cases outright deception in fund-raising, especially among the country's orphanages. MORE

Jun. 6, 2014

Fatou Bensouda, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, pledges to step up court's investigation and prosecution of sexual and gender-based crimes, including sexual slavery and forced prostitution, as crimes against humanity and war crimes; lengthy policy paper issued by Bensouda is her strongest effort to date to exhort both the court and national governments to pay more attention to such crimes. MORE

May. 30, 2014

Activist Somaly Mam resigns from foundation that bears her name amid allegations she and others connected to group fabricated stories about their experiences as young victims of sex trade; Newsweek reports that assertions about being sold into slavery and sex trafficking are untrue. MORE

May. 30, 2014

Op-Ed article by author Melissa Gira Grant reflects on resignation of Cambodian anti-trafficking icon Somaly Mam from her own foundation amid allegations of fraud; contends Mam's false stories and distorted efforts led to policies that harmed the very women she said she was trying to save; questions whether Mam's Western supporters understand the price of the falsehoods they were sold. MORE

May. 24, 2014

Saturday Profile; Argentinian Susana Trimarco has received international recognition for founding Fundacion Maria de los Angeles, nongovernmental organization that rescues and rehabilitates sex slaves in Argentina; Trimarco's daughter Maria was seized in 2002, and frustrated by an investigation she says was thwarted by a web of corruption, Trimarco set out to carve the issue of sex trafficking into the political agenda in Argentina. MORE

May. 8, 2014

Human rights investigators say threat by Boko Haram to sell kidnapped Nigerian girls highlights the shocking ease with which child trafficking continues in the developing world; buying and selling of women and children, particularly young girls, has long been a problem in certain areas. MORE

Apr. 20, 2014

Jim Dwyer About New York column describes story of Noemi Alvarez Quillay, 12-year-old Ecuadorian girl who committed suicide in Mexico after failing to illegally cross the border into the United States; notes that Noemi is part of a human tide of unaccompanied migrant children often left to the mercy of human traffickers that has swelled since 2011. MORE

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July 31, 2015, Friday

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will press Malaysia to redouble efforts against people trafficking on a visit next week but will not become embroiled in a scandal involving corruption allegations against Prime Minister Najib Razak, a senior U.S....

July 27, 2015, Monday

The U.S. government's decision to keep Thailand on its list of worst human-trafficking centres for an unprecedented two straight years highlights the suspected role of Thai officials in the trade despite government efforts to stop it.

July 27, 2015, Monday

The United States took Malaysia off its list of worst offenders in human trafficking on Monday, removing a potential barrier to a signature Asia-Pacific trade pact despite opposition from human rights groups and nearly 180 U.S. lawmakers.

July 27, 2015, Monday

Democratic lawmakers and rights groups on Monday accused the State Department of politicizing its annual rankings of nations on their efforts to combat modern-day slavery, as key trading partner Malaysia was taken off a blacklist.

July 27, 2015, Monday

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A list of resources from around the Web about human trafficking as selected by researchers and editors of The New York Times.